While traditionally known for its live music scene and, more recently, as a growing tech city or technopolis, Austin has also begun flourishing into a vibrant center for soccer enthusiasts. From pickup games and mini pitches in local parks to organized supporter groups for Austin FC, Austin boasts a thriving soccer culture.
The Austin Parks and Recreation Department actively promotes soccer through scholarships and soccer programming for kids at Recreation Centers throughout the city. The Aus…
Soccer, called football/futbol in most countries, transcends borders and cultures, connecting people from all walks of life all over the world. In 2021, Austin welcomed its first professional major league team, Austin FC of the Major League Soccer, to much fanfare in Central Texas. Austin FC joins the Dallas Texans and Houston Dynamo FC to become the third Texas Major League Soccer team.
The arrival of the franchise to the live music capital of the world not only provided locals with a professional soccer team to support but also ga…
…
Chance Ramirez (they/them/she/her) talks about ceramics, art therapy, and hand building clay art. They also discuss what it's like to participate in the Visual Artist Residency Program at the Dougherty Arts Center in this short video from ATXN's In The Parks series.
For more information about the Visual Artist Residency Program visit …
Pete Rivera talks about how he and his brother advocated for the City of Austin to designate Red Bluff as a nature preserve so that future generations can benefit from the natural area.
…
Photo Courtesy of Elizabeth McGuire for Austin Parks Foundation
The 2020-2023 renovation of Govalle Neighborhood Park included a new playground, safety lighting, resurfacing and lighting for the basketball court, a softball field backstop, and new connection paths. Austin Parks Foundati…
In preparation for the April 8, 2024 total solar eclipse in Austin, the Parks and Recreation Department and Austin Nature and Science Center partnered with NASA to present programming and activities that relate to this historic cosmological event. People from all around the country and local Austinites descended into Zilker Park to take part of this once-in-a-lifetime experience, as Austin won’t be in the path of totality again for another 31…
On April 4, 2024, an Austin City Council resolution renamed the Bathhouse at Barton Springs Pool in honor of Joan Means Khabele whose courageous act of swimming in Barton Springs to protest segregation at the pool sparked the civil rights era swim-ins that eventually led to the desegregation of Barton Springs Pool.
The name change to the Bathhouse comes two years after the City of Austin declared April 9, 2022 as…
History of Hancock Golf Course (1899–2024)
Did you know that Hancock Golf Course holds a special place in Austin's history? Back in 1899, it was the first location of the Austin Country Club, thanks to the vision of golf enthusiast and former mayor Lewis Hancock and a group of passionate folks from the community. This nine-hole gem became the pioneer golf course in the city and has proudly maintained the title as the oldest continuously operated course in Texas.
Over the years, it's seen some changes – like adding another nine…
The City of Austin offers lifeguard certification year round. The StarGuard lifeguard program is an internationally-recognized certification with a curriculum that teaches trainees how to act in the event of an emergency situation.
Anyone interested in applying to be a lifeguard can stop by the Aquatic Office, 2818 San Gabriel St., for free pizza during Lifeguard Hiring Open Hours from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, March 21 and Friday, April 5.
Everyone must complete the job application and hiring paperwork befo…